Number two on my list of the big three is smallpox. Despite the fact that it has harmed no one in almost forty years, smallpox remains one of the scariest monsters on earth. Its toll on human history tops a billion deaths, and an even greater residual effect of acute suffering and disfigurement. So powerful has been its cultural influence that it is perhaps the only disease that is represented by gods and deities in various cultures. Today we no longer attribute the virus to gods, but the mere thought of its reemergence haunts the fevered dreams of all responsible public health officers.
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